Office of Research, Innovation and Collaboration (ORIC)

College of Education and Human Ecology

child development

High-Quality Math Learning and Family Engagement Among Black Preschoolers and Their Families (Zoom)

Join us via Zoom for the March Crane Research Forum as Dr. Ashli-Ann Douglas discusses supporting math learning among Black preschoolers.

Headshot of Dr. Ashli-Ann Douglas

 

Dr. Ashli-Ann Douglas, research associate in Mathematics Education at WestEd

 

Research has demonstrated that families’ efforts to support their preschool-aged children’s math learning at home are significantly related to their children’s math skills which are, in turn, strong predictors of their later math achievement. In this session, Dr. Ashli-Ann Douglas will review the research literature on home math engagement and discuss a recent study on Black families’ involvement in, perspectives about, and desired resources for supporting their preschool-aged children’s math learning. Dr. Douglas will discuss how these findings can inform math instruction within preschool programs to better support the math development of Black preschoolers and improve family-school partnerships focused on early math.

Dr. Ashli-Ann Douglas is a Mathematics Education Researcher at WestEd and a co-facilitator of the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s Early Math Interest Forum. She works to understand and improve the quality of mathematics teaching and learning, with special interests in early childhood education, student mindset, and culturally responsive-sustaining learning opportunities. She has disseminated research findings through professional development workshops, conference presentations, nontechnical reports, book chapters, and peer-reviewed journal articles. Dr. Douglas earned a PhD and MS in Developmental Psychology from Vanderbilt University and a BA in Psychology from Fisk University. She has also completed certificates in elementary school and college teaching and is a certified reviewer for the What Works Clearinghouse group design standards v5.0.

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Exploring the Development and Experiences of Dual Language Learners in Early Care and Education (Zoom)

Join us via Zoom for the March Crane Research Forum as Dr. Ji-Young Choi discusses dual language learners in preschool classrooms.

Headshot of Dr. Ji-Young Choi

 

Dr. Ji-Young Choi, Crane faculty affiliate and associate professor of Human Development and Family Science at The Ohio State University

 

Understanding the experiences and development of dual language learners in preschool classrooms, where English is the primary language of instruction and interaction, is central to providing developmentally appropriate practices. During this presentation, Dr. Choi will highlight research that refutes deficit views on dual language development and education and will explore equitable classroom environments for linguistically diverse children. She will also discuss implications for early childhood programs and educators working with dual language learners.

Dr. Choi is an expert on early childhood development of multilingual learners. Her research investigates two connected areas: (1) how and why individual developmental differences emerge during 0 to 5 years; and (2) how to better support this early development for children from linguistically and economically diverse backgrounds. She has served as a principal and co-investigator on several federally funded research projects and has published peer-reviewed studies in leading research journals.

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Harnessing the Power of Hope and Belonging to Buffer the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (Zoom)

Join us via Zoom for the February Crane Research Forum as Dr. Brett Zyromski discusses ways to buffer against the impact of childhood trauma.

Headshot of Dr. Brett Zyromski

 

Dr. Brett Zyromski, associate professor and program chair of the Counselor Education Program at The Ohio State University

 

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood and have long-term impacts on a variety of our future health and educational outcomes, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Every day we interact with adults who are struggling with the long-term consequences of childhood trauma, and most of us have also experienced at least one ACE ourselves. However, there is good news. We can address systems that create trauma, and we can invest in protective factors, such as hope and belonging, that help buffer against the impact of ACEs. In this session, Dr. Zyromski will explore the impacts of ACEs on both children and those working or living with children. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for building hope and belonging to help children and adults survive and thrive through the potentially traumatic events of childhood.

Dr. Brett Zyromski is an expert on enhancing protective factors like connectedness to support children who have experienced ACEs, while at the same time deconstructing the systems that create the need for such interventions. His research also examines the effectiveness of socially-just and evidence-based practices for school counselors in both their interventions and in their education and evaluation. Dr. Zyromski has presented before international audiences and has authored numerous articles and book chapters.

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Crane Research Forum: Grappling With and Reconciling History to Improve Child Care Access (Zoom)

Join the Crane Center for a very special research forum in partnership with Ohio State’s Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity during which Dr. Chrishana M. Lloyd will examine why the early care and education field is devalued and underfunded.

Dr. Chrishana M. Lloyd, research scholar at Child Trends

Research consistently notes the value of early care and education for children’s development, parental stability, and the productivity of the country. Despite these benefits, navigating early care and education in the United States is a challenging endeavor. There is considerable fragmentation and variability in early care and education systems, access to high quality and affordable care is limited, and pay is low for the workforce. During this research forum, Dr. Chrishana M. Lloyd will facilitate understanding about why the early care and education field is devalued and underfunded using a historical and equity lens. Dr. Lloyd will also share policy and practice recommendations to address these challenges.

Dr. Lloyd is a nationally recognized expert on the challenges facing the early child care and education sector. Drawing from the social sciences and education fields and through a racial equity lens, Dr. Lloyd integrates research findings and policy in ways that improve high-quality and equitable practices to deliver positive impact to communities.

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Crane Research Forum: The Double-Edged Sword of AI Use: Implications for Early Childhood Education (Zoom)

Join us virtually for the October Crane Research Forum as Dr. Jennifer Chen discusses the positive and negative aspects of utilizing artificial intelligence for early childhood education and children’s learning.

Dr. Jennifer Chen, professor and chair of the Department of Early Childhood Education at Kean University

With the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) use, it is important to examine how AI intersects with early child care and education. In this session, Dr. Jennifer Chen will explore both the positive and negative aspects of utilizing AI for teaching and children’s learning, with a focus on its appropriate, responsible, and ethical use, while also recognizing concerns about its misuse and overuse. This examination will lead to a discussion of the potential implications of AI for early childhood education, including promoting equitable access to AI for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Dr. Chen earned her doctorate in human development and psychology from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. Her research interests lie at the intersection of early childhood education and psychology, and her recent work has shifted to fostering better understanding of AI and its implications for education. Dr. Chen is highly respected as a scholar both internationally and nationally and has authored or co-authored more than 80 scholarly publications, including three books. She is an award-winning researcher, a distinguished scholar and professor, and a research mentor. She was recently honored with a 2023 Outstanding Early Childhood Teacher Educator award from the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators Foundation.

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Crane Research Forum: Rebuilding After COVID-19: Does School-Based Pre-K Hold Promise? (Virtual)

Join us virtually for the September Crane Research Forum as Dr. Lora Cohen-Vogel, Dr. Michael Gottfried, and Dr. Michael Little discuss the role of school-based pre-kindergarten in the future of early childhood education in the U.S.

Dr. Lora Cohen-Vogel holds multiple appointments at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, including the Frank A. Daniels, Jr. Endowed Chair, professor of Public Policy and Education, and director of the PhD program in Policy, Leadership and School Improvement and the Interprofessional Graduate Certificate in Improvement Science and Implementation

Dr. Michael Gottfried, professor of Policy, Organizations, Leadership, and Systems Division at the University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Michael Little, assistant professor of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis at North Carolina State University

Early pandemic-related research shows that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are both highly localized and not born equally, with children of color, dual language learners, and children from families with low incomes more negatively affected. As policymakers consider how to invest in shoring up — and in some places rebuilding altogether — the early child care and education sector, it is important to guard against risk and inequities in the face of future pandemics and other potential shocks.

In this presentation, Drs. Cohen-Vogel, Gottfried, and Little examine the role of school-based pre-kindergarten (SBPK) in these efforts. SBPK are formal pre-K programs that are situated within elementary schools, as opposed to stand-alone early education centers. The talk will cover which communities offer SBPK options, who has access, how these options are unique, and research on their relative efficacy. Additionally, the presenters will discuss the potential role of SBPK moving ahead.

Dr. Lora Cohen-Vogel is an expert in vertical alignment between pre-K and kindergarten who has extensive experience using research on policy formation for system improvement. Dr. Michael Gottfried’s work centers on improving children’s outcomes by examining how policies, practices, and contexts promote or block their success. Dr. Michael Little’s research focuses on how leadership and policy impact the bridge between early childhood education and the early grades of school. They are currently collaborating on a federally funded grant to examine whether SBPK programs improve alignment with kindergarten.

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W.K. Kellogg Foundation Information Session (Zoom)

On Tuesday, April 20, at 10:00AM we will provide an overview of the mission of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, their priority to improve access to high quality, early childhood education, and how to submit a Letter of Intent. The Kellogg Foundation’s goal is lasting, transformational change for children. Their three areas of focused work are dynamic and always interconnected:

  • Thriving Children
  • Working Families
  • Equitable Communities

REGISTER FOR THE KELLOGG SESSION USING THIS LINK 

The Birth-to-Five Policy Landscape: Improving the safety net for our children and their caregivers

Join the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs for a special, in-person only, policy chat featuring Dr. Lauren Jones.
Dr. Lauren Jones will discuss important federal and state policy tools aimed at improving the well-being of children and their caregivers, including the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, subsidized child care, child care regulation and quality. The discussion will highlight current issues and opportunities in this policy space, research on the impact of the programs, and how the Crane Center’s policy team is engaging with states to inform research-based policy-making to benefit our youngest citizens and those who care for them.
What to expect: Crane Policy Chats provide opportunities to discuss and learn about policy issues in early childhood. Hosted by Jamie O’Leary, Crane’s associate director of policy and external affairs, these conversations feature guests who share insights, research, and expertise in a conversational format that resembles a podcast. Participants have ample opportunity to offer comments, ask questions, and consider ways they can apply insights or lessons.
Parking: The closest parking is nearby at the Ohio Union South Garage.

Effects on Early Child Outcomes of Shared Parental Responsiveness Among Fathers and Mothers Living in Households with Low Income

Headshot of Dr. Joyce Lee

 

Dr. Joyce Lee, assistant professor of social work at The Ohio State University and director of the Child and Family Wellbeing Laboratory

 

Responsive relationships are important in young children’s early development, but the ways in which fathers and mothers work together as a system — as well as the role of shared parental responsiveness in child development — are not well understood. In this presentation, Dr. Joyce Lee will discuss findings on the effects of shared parental responsiveness between fathers and mothers in low-income households on preschoolers’ developmental outcomes. The specific developmental outcomes studied include children’s behavior problems, prosocial behaviors and receptive language.

Dr. Lee’s research aims to promote child welfare and family strengthening through preventing child maltreatment, supporting positive parenting and promoting the health of children in foster care. Her work is intended to inform child welfare policies and practices to improve children’s health outcomes and strengthen children’s relationships with their family members.

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Beyond Learning Loss: Exploring the Implications of COVID for Early Language and Literacy Development (Zoom)

Headshot of Dr. Elizabeth Hadley

 

Dr. Elizabeth Hadley, associate professor of literacy studies at the University of South Florida

 

Learning experiences in the early grades play a crucial role in preparing children to be strong readers, writers and thinkers across content areas. What happens when these early learning experiences are disrupted? In a longitudinal study, Dr. Elizabeth Hadley followed children, whose pre-kindergarten year was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, through the end of first grade, investigating the impacts of COVID on their language and literacy development. In this presentation, Dr. Hadley will explore implications of findings from this research, including the extent to which state-funded pre-K supports children’s language and literacy skills and which kinds of language and literacy skills are impacted most when children lose access to in-person instruction.

Dr. Hadley’s work centers on intentionally and equitably fostering language and early literacy development in pre-K classrooms, especially for children from marginalized communities and from families experiencing poverty. Dr. Hadley has been published in top journals and won awards including the Early Career Award from the Early Education/Child Development SIG from the American Educational Research Association.

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